Blue Moon
by dearsora
Summary: One night led to a road of resentment between Ally Dawson and Austin Moon. From then on, it was as if "Fate" had a way of keeping them apart. With that word, though, comes things no one will ever be able to predict, and for these two, a world tour will prove to be the "Fate" that changes their lives.
1. Choices

**Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic EVER, so if I receive any notice from this I may cry haha. Anyways, I would love any and all feedback; I have never "published" a story before, so if my approach to this is quite terrible, or decent, I would love to know. My thanks in advance for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing about Austin and Ally, except the CD I bought the other day.**

* * *

"Please don't touch that!" Ally Dawson screeched nervously at two adolescent boys who were messing around near the Zildjian cymbals at the front of the store. She strongly disliked the sound of ten crashing cymbals, and of course, the mess that would come along with that collision. The boys gave her that "look", the look of dissatisfaction that all the young customers gave when they got caught.

She sighed and glanced at her watch. 'Just one more hour…' She adored working at Sonic Boom, she really did; but tonight, for the first time in what seemed to be ages, she actually had a date. It's honestly been so long, which gave the flutter of anticipation the extra amp to distract her from almost everything around her…except ten crashing cymbals.

*CRASH*

* * *

"Alllllllly!" The familiar accent rung through the room with such intensity, almost every customer turned to see what the commotion was, but of course, Trish de la Rosa was never affected by the judgment of others. She smiled brightly and posed in a "ta-da" stance, her right hand waving around gracefully in the air as if she were a model showing off a toaster for someone to win. "Guess who got a job at Mini's?"

Ally rounded the corner of the check-out counter, giving her best friend a genuine smile. "Some things never change," she mused to herself. Trish cocked her head in confusion. "I mean, wow Trish, that's great!"

Trish rolled her eyes. "Ally, I know what your mind is on—"

"The fact that my eardrums busted about 45 minutes ago because of these two inconsiderate, blonde-haired boys—"

"Not important," Trish happily interrupted. "You have a date tonight!" She almost squealed at the idea of it. It was almost as if she were going on the date herself.

"Trish, it really isn't a big deal…"

"Yes it is! I mean it's been forever sin—"

"I don't want to discuss it," Ally walked speedily back behind the counter. Today was not the day to bring that up. She was over it, of course…but it still was a bad memory; a wound that had healed, but the scar was still there, and those had no room to be talked about on a day of "new beginnings".

"I'm sorry Ally," Trish followed her and leaned forwards beside the cash register. "I know it's been rou—"

"Accccck!" Ally was on her way to covering her ears when Trish grabbed her left arm.

"I'm sorry, I'll stop," Ally sighed as she caught sight of a familiar figure standing outside the Sonic Boom doors. Her eyes suddenly went into deer-in-the-headlights mode as all the things she'd tried to suppress inside of her wanted to be released. The golden hair, the hazel eyes that reminded her of maple, the tanned arms she had learned to memorize, and the shoes that she always thought were too tacky to fit his persona….

Austin Moon.

"Ally…?" Trish waved her hand in front of Ally's face, attempting to figure out what was going on. She's only seen that look a few times in the course of their friendship, so it must mean…

"Oh God, Ally, I'll run him off—"

"NO, no," Ally instinctively pulled her friend back to the counter. Trish seemed overly offended.

"Why do you keep interrupting me? I just want to hel—"

"I'm curious," was all Ally could say. Trish raised her hands in surrender, deciding not to mess with what Ally called "Fate". Surely this was the rationale behind her openly allowing the one person she should never want to see again into the store. Otherwise, Ally was crazy. "Plus, I can't run him off when he hasn't broken store policy," it was almost as if she could read Trish's mind.

"Well we could always break a guitar and blame it on him…"

* * *

"Austin, I'm suuuuure there is another store you can buy a guitar from," A ginger spoke as he followed a blonde-haired boy down the mall parking lot. "I mean, why here?"

"Dez," the blonde stopped in his tracks, turning to face his follower. "It will be okay. The sky isn't going to fall; the world will not end if I step into Sonic Boom," he smirked and rolled his eyes. Dez held a hand up to physically show he had a point, but his mind drew a blank.

"I'm telling you, man, I really think this is a bad idea. You guys have yet to speak since that nigh—"

Austin abruptly stopped, forcing his friend to stop right in front of his face, "Dez, Dez…" Austin placed an index finger to his lips and mouthed a lingering 'Shhhhhh'. "The past is the past. Focusing on it won't change anything."

"But trying to fix things with Ally like this isn't the way either!"

"Who said I was?" Austin smirked and started back on his task. Dez, speechless, let his mind go on auto-pilot as he followed his friend into the mall center.

They rounded the front of the store when Dez grabbed Austin by the shoulder. "Austin..." Dez's tone was something it never was: serious. His eyes had a glint in them that even made Austin's eyes widen. It was the most intensity he had ever felt in a conversation with him. "I'm telling you, if you walk into that store, things will change, and, while I know you are trying to play it cool, you may not like the result…or what you face in there," Dez gave a pat and was quickly distracted by a lingering smell of pork, "ooooo, hot dogs!" He skirted off without a second glance.

That uneasy feeling returned to the pit of Austin's stomach. That feeling had loitered there for months. It was an intangible feeling that his head could never quite rationalize. No explanation would describe, nor validate its existence; he wondered why it wouldn't just go away. Once he woke up today and decided it was time to "make a move", it was almost as if the feeling chose the same exact day to take absence from him. Were they correlated? As the thought of him giving up on his intention rose, the feeling seemed to creep back into his abdomen. The harsh reality surfaced, and he knew that they were related.

Austin wanted nothing more than for it to go away: the feeling, the dreams; everything about the one person who has had the largest impact on his life. So many nights he spent brainstorming ways to fix this. It was almost desperation, as he noted that no efforts were ever made in his opposition.

Since that night, he has yet to hear from her. No calls. No songs in rebuttal. No awkward run-ins at school. The connection he felt almost seemed unreal to him, as if it never happened, and it was so hard to discredit that when Fate just kept him and Ally apart. Now, he wanted to take things into his own hands, but if she was making it just fine…why should he even take a double-take?

And as the anger from that thought rose to the fore-front of his mind, he walked off towards the hot dog cart.

* * *

Trish smiled as the menace walked away from his momentary stop near the front of the store. "Oh thank Jesus," she sighed and turned to find a surprising sight.

Ally twiddled her fingers, looking down at the counter. It was obvious she was finding a way to distract herself. "Ally…are you okay?" The brunette lifted her head slightly, biting her lip. Her eyes had a slight glaze to them, which Trish immediately noticed. "Oh…"

Ally placed a hand to her piano necklace and fiddled around with the charm, unable to look her best friend in the eyes. "Trish, I don't know what's wrong with me. Why…why is everything the way it is. I don't understand, I don—"

Trish made a move for Ally's wrists, lowering them to the counter as an attempt to signal importance for what she was about to say. "You know, everything up until now has been messy. It has been terrible, unexplainable, heck, even unfair. I know it's been hard, and it seems like it will never have closure. You deserve so much better than this, but you can't have that better until you let go of the past. Hell, you saw him stand there. He chose to not see you. Now it's your turn. What do you choose?"

Even though tears were already streaming down Ally's face, her eyes almost seemed to soften at Trish's words. Ally cracked a smile...a genuine smile. "I choose tonight."


	2. Safety Net

**Hi! I'm so, so happy that people have left reviews on the first chapter! I honestly wasn't expecting any response, so when I got the alerts in my email...oh goodness, I freaked out. Anyways, I know the first chapter was a little short, but I tried to make up for it in the second chapter. Hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Austin and Ally.**

* * *

The walls of this room seemed so familiar to her; like clockwork, she could re-imagine the image perfectly onto a piece of paper: the pastel yellow, the hanging Christmas lights, the desk where all of her biggest homework obstacles had been faced. Just sitting in the company of these things gave her such security, and within that, a safety net for any tough time she had been through. After that disastrous night with Austin, it seemed that all she did was stare at those walls and memorize the patterns. When everything else seemed to fall apart, those patterns and her song book were all she had. That and Trish. She always had Trish.

The thought of refuge, for some reason, reminded Ally of the night her stage fright ended…the night she kissed Austin. While another girl did come and sort of ruin the whole "bask in the afterglow of what just happened", Ally couldn't help but blush every time she remembered the glint in his eyes, the shine of his hair, the smile that glowed upon his face as he leaned closer to hers…

Ally tried to ignore the shivers she felt.

Yet, what disappointed her most about the whole situation was the loss of the safety net she thought she had with him. Out of everything, the last possible outcome would have been to lose Austin all together. Sure, she expected fights with him; they were pretty much complete opposites, but she never imagined _losing_ him. That broke her heart the most, knowing that instead of sitting in the upstairs practice room at Sonic Boom, writing new lyrics to a cool guitar rift Austin made up, she was preparing to go on a date with the guy who worked at the cellphone stand. This date signaled the new chapter in her life, a new approach to the security she thought she had at one point with the guy of her dreams…

A tear slid down her cheek as she looked in the mirror and saw the casual red dress that Trish picked out for her. It gave the impression, as she had said, "flirtatious, but not too gun-ho about it". Austin would have loved this dress; red was his favorite color.

Another tear found its way down her face as she picked up her phone and quickly dialed a number.

* * *

Austin strummed a G major chord, examining the floor as if it had the answer he was looking for. Every time he thought about Ally, he felt the resentment within himself grow ever so slightly more. He still suffered from the guilt of it, even after the months that have gone by. He masked it incredibly well; only Dez knew of the lingering feelings that were brought up frequently in their most reticent conversations. Still, he owed it to everyone involved to let it be. Let things go as they may.

He finally realized why he was never able to write songs until he met Ally, though. When she came into his life, he never really had any _deep_ things to think about, much less to write about. Most of his time would be spent on a ballad towards his love for pancakes, but who would relate to that? It was a very special feeling. Nevertheless, Ally opened his heart up to the things truly worth writing about: the smile of a stranger, self-revelation, the heart that is worth driving ten million miles for, and a second half that life would be empty without. Those are the things that people relate to; the things not so easily spoken, but that could be effortlessly sung. Songs were meant to empower people, to give them a sort of courage that plain-old words couldn't. Whenever he was on that stage, he felt empowered. When he strummed chords to an acoustic melody, he felt empowered.

When he was with Ally, he felt empowered.

Austin sighed and lowered his face into his hands, forcing the darkness into his mind to alleviate the thoughts of her and anything having to do with that night. He felt powerless, because he knew from the bottom of his heart that she deserved him standing outside her window, crooning tunes of apologies and begging her for forgiveness. Why wasn't he there then?

With the close of that thought, his phone began to vibrate continuously. Someone was calling him.

* * *

Ally nervously tapped her fingers against her knee, impatient and, quite frankly, the most nervous she had been in ages.

"…Ally?" a voice timidly answered.

"Oh thank God you answered Trish," Ally sighed and smiled at the relief she felt. That did not last long. "Trish, I don't think I can go through with this."

"Ally, I literally just left your house," annoyance snuck into her tone and she breathed an exasperated sigh. "Do I need to turn around and come back?"

"No, no," Ally didn't need the onus of Trish's lost time on her conscience tonight. "I just need one of your famous pep talks!"

"Oh, well, if you insist…"

* * *

Austin nervously reached towards the flashing screen. After seeing the I.D. of the caller, a sensation of disappointment shot through his body, but like the flash of a comet, it raced away. "Hello?" His hazel orbs looked at the wall in slight nonchalance.

"AUSTIN? I've texted you, like, seven times! What's going on?" a high-pitched feminine voice almost screeched through the phone's speakers.

"Sorry," he sighed, "I was writing a song and kind of got lost in it. That's why I didn't check my phone."

"Hmph, okay…" her voice trailed off. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Actually, yes," Austin sat his cobalt-colored guitar on the sheets of his bed. "There are some things we should talk about."

* * *

_"Be yourself. Your personality is contagious. Promise, Ally, it will go better than how you think it will." _Trish's words of encouragement echoed in her head as she sat in her living room, nibbling a few strands of hair. It was a nervous habit she wished she could break. She felt like she had so much to stress over, but at least her date wouldn't have to meet her father, since he was off on a business trip. That saved her some anxiety.

She got up and walked to the bathroom, viewing herself one last time before he arrived. She usually didn't wear a bunch of make-up, but Trish insisted on a little eyeliner and red lipstick. How could her night be anything but good? She had on her red dress, her red lipstick, had her pep talk from Trish; what could prepare her any better? Maybe a jar of pickles could, but Trish took that with her before she left. _"Can't be messing up your pretty lipstick!" _Ally could just hear the judgment from Trish's voice at the thought of her even wanting to eat a pickle or two before the date.

The doorbell rang and Ally was instantly struck with fear. '_It's really happening now. Woah, okay, be myself, no pickles, la la la umm, I'm contagious'_ She took a deep breath in as she opened the front door.

The sight before her almost took her breath away. There stood Dallas in a deep blue button-up, khaki pants, and Sperry Top-Siders. His dark chestnut hair seemed mangled, but tamed at the same time. Eyes of chocolate, Ally noticed, and skin a shade that hers could never be no matter how long she stood out in the sun. It was all nice to soak in, and she smiled. "Hey Dallas!"

"Hey Ally," he returned the smile. "Gosh, you look great!"

She couldn't help but blush at his compliment. "Not so bad yourself," she gave him a small punch in the arm. '_Why did I do that?_' She freaked out on the inside, but thankfully, he chuckled and offered an arm for her to take.

"M'lady?" Gosh, those eyes could melt chocolate instead of be it.

"Of course," she snapped out of her reverie and interlocked her arm with his. She looked up, seeing millions of stars shining down on her. The spring air was crisp; perfect weather for a walk on the beach. The whole night was starting out so perfectly, and it felt perfect too.

* * *

Laughter echoed off the walls of Austin's room. "Yea….yea I can't forget that day either. That pancake was just too delicious," he smiled. "You can really cook those, you know?"

"Yea, I know," a female's voice giggled in response. A beep interrupted a few of those and Austin looked to see who could be calling him at this hour.

"Hey, Dez is calling me. I'll call you right back, okay?" Before he could hear a response, he clicked over to the other line. "Dez, what's up?"

"You will probably be mad at me for telling you this," Dez took no hesitation in failing to give Austin a chance to object. "Ally's going on a date tonight…with Dallas."

"DALLAS?" Austin shot skyward and was sitting straight up on his bed. "I mean…oh, good for Ally! I'm glad she's found someone."

"…You're joking, right?" His best friend sighed over the phone. "Earlier today, you were finding any excuse to go into Sonic Boom, and you still didn't. You told me to tell you anything that I found out or overheard about Ally. Now, you don't care?" Austin could imagine Dez shaking his head on the other end of the conversation. "Come on, dude."

"I don't know. Elizabeth and I talked and—"

"Oh…" he voiced trailed off. "I see."

"Dez, it isn't like tha—"

"I gotta go. Family stuff in the morning," there was a moment of silence.

"Alright, man," Austin clicked back to the other line, the feeling in his stomach radiating more than it usually did. "Hey. Something came up. I got to go," was all Austin could say.

"Okay, baby. Talk to you tomorrow?" Elizabeth cooed in response.

"Yep," Austin clicked the "end" button and chucked his phone across the room.

* * *

"Do you remember the day Trish accidentally put you on the jumbo-tron in the mall plaza?" Dallas was laughing as if someone had punched in the gut, and instead of cries of agony, he chose to laugh instead. Ally didn't mind though; she loved the sound of laughter.

"Oh, don't remind me. That was so embarrassing…" she covered her face with her hands, attempting to mask the shade of red her cheeks were surely showing right now.

"But it was so adorable," the laughs slowed down as his face softened. "You are adorable."

Ally parted her fingers so she could see his face. She could definitely feel the rush of blood part into her cheeks. He surely noticed, because he smiled and took her hands and cuffed them into his own. "Ally, I really did have a nice time tonight," his eyes emitted a force close to what she had seen only twice before. "Thank you for allowing me spend the evening with you."

Her nervous energy seemed to take over as the hold over her composure was beginning to falter. "Oh shucks," she giggled before she realized how lame she had sounded. "I mean, of course, any time!"

"Any time?" A playful glow filled his stare. "So that means I can see you again tomorrow night?"

Oh, he was a smart one. "I guess it does," Ally bashfully responded, splitting her gaze between him and the floor of her porch. They had already walked from his car to her house, and the perfect night was about to come to an end, a somewhat perfect end, Ally observed.

"I'll call you then," he suddenly released her hand and brought her into a tight hug, his cologne hypnotizing Ally as she really couldn't focus on anything but the warmth she felt and the nerves sprinting through her body. Once he let go, he gave her one last grin and started on the way to his car. Ally took a moment to "beam in the afterglow of what just happened", as she never really got to do before. After a moment of composure, she unlocked the door to the house and entered.

Once she recognized the familiarity of the living room, she closed the door with her back and slid to the floor, a sigh of…contentment escaped her lips. It was then she felt a vibration from her black clutch she was carrying. Curiosity took a moment's lead as she reached for her phone.

9 missed text messages, all from Trish:

_"Hey girl! Let me know how the date goes! You looked so pretty, oooooo, he is going to be so impressed! :))"_

_"Okay, the suspense is killing me. Can you tell me what he said when he saw you?"_

_"You're probably really busy though, so just text me when you are home from your date!"_

_"Ally it's been two hours are you home yet?"_

_"I don't think I can take it I need to know"_

_"This better be a good story or I swear"_

_"Alllllllly"_

_"You have got to be home now. I need to know the deets!"_

_"ALLY ! ! !"_

Ally tried to quell a giggle as the appreciation she felt for having such a clingy friend warmed her soul. While that sounds sarcastic, Ally didn't mind having someone there who had to know what was going on at all times. It was nice having someone around who willingly listened to everything she had to say, good or bad.

Ally dialed in the number she had memorized so easily and wasn't surprised when the phone clicked after the very first ring. "Ally, you best start explaining!"

"Okay, okay," the radiance she could feel just from those thoughts made her want to go drive really fast or go para-sailing. She felt like she could do anything. "Well, he picked me up from my house and took me over to Ruth's downtown-"

"Oh, fancy, fancy!" Ally recoiled from the excitement she could hear. It was almost too much for her eardrums to handle.

"Yea…it was really nice. After dinner, he took me to the beach and we just walked and talked for a while. Then he took me home."

"Eeeeee! Did he kiss you?" She went straight for the juicy stuff.

"Nooooo. It was only our first date!" Still, Ally was flustered by the thought.

"Okay, that's understandable. Still, I'm glad you had fun! See? You don't need Austin," victory rang through Trish's voice.

Austin…Ally caught her breath. He really didn't cross her mind any throughout the night…except for once. She had to get her best friend's advice about it. "Trish, there's something I need to ask you about that deals with Austin."

"Okay…" the victorious ring that flowed through her words just seconds before seemed to just dissipate as quickly as it came.

"I had so much fun with Dallas, I really did…but when we were at Ruth's, all I could think about...well, hope for, was Austin barging in and ruining the whole date to tell me…you know…"

"I was afraid this was going to happen," Trish sighed. "Look, we both know that Austin is over this. He never had the decently to talk to you about anything that happened. He has a girlfriend now, and you're alone. He's probably hanging out with her tonight while you are sitting here questioning this new opportunity you have with someone else. That thought you had...only happens in movies, and I'm sure the guys that do it have more of a heart than Austin Moon does."

"You're right…" she didn't want to admit that; that's the last thing she wanted to realize. Maybe that safety net had no way of returning.

"I know, and I'm so sorry about it, Ally…" her apology was so sincere, it brought tears to Ally's eyes. "Now, enough about this, when will you see Dallas again?"

Ally wiped away a tear that was peeking over the edge of her bottom eyelid. "Umm, probably tomorrow night, actually. I just remembered, I have a meeting at the studio tomorrow. I just need one more track before the record's done!"

"Yea, I know! See? Why even think about Austin when you have this cute guy just drooling over you, and a record that's about to be released. Your life is about to change so much," she was relieved to hear the Latina's pep back in her voice.

"I'll realize it soon enough," Ally smiled. "Speaking of the record, though, I need to go finish the song for the meeting tomorrow. See you then?"

"You got it, girl!" The phone clicked off and she slowly placed it back in her clutch.

Now the room was back to silence. When she first walked in, it was filled with this serenity, warmth that reflected the amazing time she had with Dallas. After that talk with Trish, it was as if she realized she was lying to herself the whole time. In the back of her mind, her deepest desire was for her perfect night to be _ruined_. Ruined by an obnoxious boy who was probably still doing all the things he did that had hurt her…

Before she let any more tears fall, she ran up the stairs to her room. In the drawer beside her bed sat the one thing she knew would help her process all these unfair and irrational thoughts. She grabbed it, and without a second thought, she ran downstairs and through the front door to her car.

As she buckled her seat belt, she thought of all the reasons why she shouldn't do this. She has never done anything so reckless before, but her dad wasn't home to fuss at her and she felt this would be the perfect occasion to experiment.

* * *

Once she arrived to the mall parking lot, she made her way to the plaza. It wasn't an indoor mall, so no doors stopped her. No guards were in sight, so they didn't stop her either. She fiddled around her clutch for the keys to Sonic Boom, and once she found them, she had made it, by memory, to her dad's store.

The store was so peaceful at night, and so dark too. She had only been here once this late…

Maybe coming here wasn't the greatest idea.

Regardless, she soaked in the feeling of rebellion, despite the fact that she really wasn't doing anything wrong. She turned on the switch for a few lights in the back of the store, enough for her to make it up the stairs to the practice room. She twisted the knob and turned on the lights, seeing a sight she hadn't seen in months. Ever since that night, she decided to never step foot into this room again. Drastic, yes, but she wanted to prove to herself that she wouldn't fold. She wanted to forget every aspect of the boy she had spent so many days with in this room, at that piano in the corner. As she was hit with all the memories at once, she felt her knees weaken beneath her. Before she fell to them, she made it to the piano and took a seat at the bench.

Being here tonight wasn't a sign of surrender. No, she had every right to be in this room. This was never Austin's room, this was hers. This was originally her sanctuary. To think that he could take away from her that too…no, she wouldn't allow that anymore. Tonight was a night of "new beginnings"; she already made that clear to herself today in the store. It was time to break free of the shackles Austin had unknowingly put on her heart, on her thoughts and actions. She looked at the item she had grabbed from her nightstand and smiled.

She opened her song book to a blank page, sat it on the stand above the piano keys, and began playing a melody that came to her mind.

* * *

**What did you think? I know it sort of seems "stagnant", but what I have planned for the next chapter is where the wheels will really begin to turn. I just have to build up to it. Please review if you have anything you'd like to share with me about this! I really enjoy feedback, and follows. Those too :)**

**Thanks again!**


	3. Fate's Design

**Hey guys! I'm so ecstatic that I actually have people following this story; it's incredibly flattering. Anyways, I had fun writing this chapter, and I'm excited about where this story will go on from here. Please read and review. I love getting emails from this site telling me of the alerts I'm getting from this story. They really make my day.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Sunlight peaked between the ivory blinds of the window, sending streams of dancing light cascading all along the floor of the practice room. The atmosphere was bright: birds were chirping the songs of a morning's tale, water streamed from the fountain at the plaza, children were laughing at the shapes the clouds were forming in the sky; it was a beautiful day.

The glare of the window finally made its way to the eyelids of the brunette fast asleep on the piano keyboard. As if it were too bright for her to handle, her eyes shot open, and in recoil, she sat straight up in a moment of illogical panic. Once she was aware of her surroundings, she breathed a sigh of respite and looked down at the sight before her. There was her songbook, two pages worth of lyrics ready to be sung with just a little bit of drool mixed in. She smiled as she allowed her hands to hover over the keys, positioned in the correct spots to play the melody she had created in her mind. Her musing didn't last long, for she just realized…who was running the store?

Ignoring the nest her hair was in, the fact she was still in that red dress, and how her makeup was smudged, she raced down the stairs to see her dad standing at the counter. "Okay, I see that dent…I can give you a ten percent discount, but that's as low as I can go," the sound of her dad's penny-pinching made her shine with relief. As the customer shook his head and walked away, her father shrugged and turned. "Oh goodness, you scared me," his hand went straight for his chest.

"Dad, I didn't know you were going to be back this early. I can expla—"

"No need to, honey," he walked out of the checkout box to face his daughter, placing a consoling hand on her shoulder. "I caught an earlier flight back home, but that's not important," he shook his head, "I was a little worried when I got home and you weren't there, but before I completely freaked out, I came to the store and found you asleep at the piano. Ally, it's been so long since I've seen you in that room, at that piano…it was just a nice sight. I didn't want to disturb you." He gave her shoulder a pat and a comforting smile before noticing the unsatisfied customer back at the checkout counter. "Duty calls."

Ally gave a nod of empathy and watched her father walk away. Spending the night in the store was probably one of the most irresponsible things she had ever done, but at least her dad didn't freak out. After that thought left her mind, she made her way back upstairs to grab her songbook and the clutch she left. She took a glance at her phone before sitting back down to practice, taking note of the current time. "Eleven o'clock?" she voiced to herself, nervous energy and stress starting to make its way throughout her body. Her meeting was at one and she was still at the store. Ally closed the covering for the piano keys and quickly grabbed all of her things. She had a meeting to go get ready for.

* * *

Drool continuously flowed from Austin's face, mouth open wide similar to when he would be ready to eat a stack full of pancakes. The sound of his own voice coming through the speakers of his phone was loud enough to send his eyes flying open. Startled, he rolled face first onto the wooden floor. "Ugh..." he grumbled, bringing himself to his feet so he could stop the obnoxious ringtone that was loudly playing. Austin was not a morning person.

Too bad it was 11:30.

He answered the call, distaste already bittering the mindset he was entering the conversation with. "Hello?" He'd be happy if they didn't answer back.

"Austin? Hey, it's Jimmy Starr. I know we just spoke the other day, but I really need you to come in for a meeting today. It's really important," Austin's unpleasant demeanor suddenly changed into curiosity as he saw the whole conversation turn into a new light.

"Yea sure, I'll be there!" Excitement bubbled up inside of him. It had been a few months since his first tour ended, so things had been stagnant since they had returned to Miami. Of course, whenever he went out, he was recognized by at least six or seven adolescent girls, but back when his record was first released, it would be at least twenty-one girls. He didn't like that change.

"Great, man! Can you be here at 12:45?"

"You can count on me," a smile took over his face.

"See you then, Austin." The phone clicked off and he couldn't help but swell up with delight. Could they already be making plans for a second album? Will they offer him a chance to double his career into the acting industry? '_All the possibilities…'_ his thoughts gloated to him. He was starting to reap the true successes of the career he started. He had so many metaphoric doors sitting in front of him, waiting to be opened. He had amazing parents who have supported him all the way. His best friend was, ironically, his voice of reason, and always had his back. He had a beautiful girlfriend who was almost too clingy, but that meant she cared about him and he did like that.

Who needed Ally Dawson?

* * *

Ally twirled around in her vintage-styled floral dress. She adored it because it was the perfect mix of casual and dressy. She never knew what her meetings would be like, so she tried to match her style to that same ambiguity. Classy, but still blithe enough to justify dancing in the rain and not have to worry about judgment, because who would purposely wear fancy things in a rainstorm?

Who is kidding; she still would.

The mint-inspired colors reflected the season that surrounded her. Despite having spent the night in the practice room, she felt energized in some mystical manner that could drive her to do anything: climb buildings, go search for unicorns, learn how to knit. Anything was game to her.

This natural high made her want to drive back to the practice room and spend the day writing songs. After the tour ended with Austin a few months ago, she had such a difficult time finishing her record. Sure, she had so many emotions she could have played on…but those weren't what she wanted her first record to be about. Ally wanted something light-hearted; filled with the joys in life rather than the betrayals and obstacles. Still, life wasn't all about the rainbows and smiles. The song she wrote last night would acknowledge that.

Snapping her back to reality was the vibrational pattern of her phone, the device buzzing rapidly as she reached for it to see the reason behind it. Other than a few text messages from Trish reminding her to keep her in the loop, she had forgotten she had set a reminder for her appointment in her phone's calendar. It alerted her that she had thirty minutes until her meeting time.

With a deep breath, she grabbed her purse that was sitting beside her bed, her song book from the nightstand, and headed downstairs for the front door. Ally was as ready as she was ever going to be.

* * *

Austin sat impatiently in the lobby of Starr Records, so much energy soaring through his veins. All that his mind could focus on was the multitude of ways the meeting could go. So many possibilities…it excited him to his bones.

"Austin?" the receptionist looked up from the laptop she had been typing on. Immediately, Austin responded.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Mr. Starr is ready for you," she gently replied. He returned a smile, leaving his seat and opening the door that stood between him and his vivid future. As he entered, he took a second to soak in his surroundings. The sight of the room would be intimidating to anyone else, but not to him. The plethora of platinum records graced the walls of Jimmy Starr's office, creating an expectation that could coerce any new artist into backing out. Not Austin, though. He knew he had what it took to get his record onto that wall.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Moon," Mr. Starr smiled and motioned a hand towards the seats in front of his desk.

"Don't mind if I do," Austin spoke as he settled into one of the two leather-coated chairs. "How are you today, Mr. Starr?"

"Oh please, call me Jimmy." The man laughed at the formality Austin was attempting. "Today is a great day for you, young man!"

"Oh, this is exciting!" Austin rubbed his hands together and sat forwards. "What do you got for me, Jimmy?"

"Okay, now I know you haven't been off tour but for a few months," Jimmy began as he flipped through the calendar on his desk. "So many cities and arenas…it's a life changing experience."

"Oh, yes it is, sir," Austin was so happy, he was being the most polite he had ever been to anyone. Jimmy shot him a look, "I mean…yes it is, Jimmy," Austin started feeling a little perturbed by how formal he was being. Jimmy didn't seem too bothered by it, for he smiled at Austin's correction and continued glancing at his calendar.

"Now your record has done well, but it is a little too soon to be working on the next one," Jimmy began as he found the month he was looking for. "But we don't want this 'dead' time to be…'dead'. Are you catching my drift, Austin?"

Austin, slightly lost on where this meeting was going, nodded in response. "Oh, yes, I am."

"Good," Jimmy took a quick glance at his watch before continuing. "Well, what the label is deciding is…a world tour; more specifically, out of the United States."

Austin's jaw dropped, and he had no discretion for it, either. '_A world tour? Holy shit!'_ As his mind finally registered the state his face was in, he took a hand and covered his mouth, taking a moment to look out the office window. Palm trees, sunshine, sand, girls…a world tour. This was not what we expected.

"It's okay to take a minute, Austin. It's a bunch to soak in, I know," Starr squinted at his watch once more. "Let me elaborate a little more because you're probably confused. This tour will be exclusively in other countries; since we already toured here, it wouldn't be logistically smart to tour again without you having a new record, set-list, dances…etcetera. We will change things a little bit, though. We are going to have you come in and record one or two more songs; "bonus" songs, if you will, for the extended version of your album coming out next month," Starr took a sip from the cup beside his calendar. "That release will kick-off the start of your world tour. Along with those new songs, we will be adding an opening act that will also go on tour with you and perform at all of the same performances. Their record will be releasing next month and they need some attention for their music. Call it a 'kill two birds with one stone' sort of thing," Starr beamed at the boy sitting across from him. "So…what do you think?"

Austin didn't know what to think. Never did he imagine in his scenarios of "wonderful things that could occur from this meeting", that he would be going on a world tour…as the main act. Plus, he would have the chance to perform new songs in totally new arenas, and he was actually touring with another band! Austin was so giddy; he had no shame in showing it. "I think it's so awesome!"

"I'm glad you think that. I bet you have a ton of questions."

Austin did. _'What countries are we going to? What arenas? What's the name of the tour? How many chances will he have to eat pancakes?'_ Oh, but one was at the forefront of all the latter. "Umm…what is the name of the band that opens for me?" Maybe they were cool like him. Did they sing rock? Pop, possibly? No way that they were country musicians; that was just not the vibe he got from the record label…

"Great question, because she should be here any minute to join us…" Jimmy typed a few words on his keyboard. '_Oh, a girl? This may be better than a band'_ Austin distended with even more anticipation. Just moments later, the door knob twisted and slowly opened.

That moment would be the single moment to change the course of everything thus far. That moment would send Austin's jaw the lowest it had been during the course of that meeting, more so the lowest of his life. Out of all the possibilities, the rationale behind this moment never made sense. Science went off of logic, of proof that supported a stated hypothesis. Well, from that perspective: how could the evidence support this conclusion when it always pointed to the complete opposite? The day that he had perfected in his head had suddenly turned into everything but that. Confusion, anger, guilt, sadness; all sat there in the corners of his mind and overflowed it with emotion. No one could have noticed that, though, for the only visible sign of any disturbance was the wideness of his mouth and the shock it represented.

The door opened to show Ally Dawson.

* * *

The vibe in the room instantly changed. When Ally opened the door to Mr. Starr's office, she never expected to see Austin Moon, let alone anyone else other than the man himself. She was led to believe that the meeting would revolve around the final ties with her record. If that were the case, then why was Austin here? Austin Moon…she hadn't really seen him since her last day traveling on tour with him. She hadn't had a chance to really see the hazel of his eyes, or the arms that almost appeared like they had been sculpted by an artist, or the brilliance of his teeth when he smiled…

The tension between the two of them must have been extremely noticeable, for Jimmy's elated mien appeared to dissipate with each passing moment. "Why don't you take a seat, Ally?" She must have been standing there for longer than she thought. Immediately, she gathered up all the courage inside of her and sat in the leather chair…beside Austin.

As if they were magnets of the same pole, the moment she sat down was the moment Austin looked straight ahead at Jimmy, ignoring the fact that a person was just inches away from him. "Is she my opening act?" Austin was almost speechless, so it surprised him that he was even able to speak that.

Ally felt slightly offended by the distance in his voice. Was she just a "she" to him? He couldn't even say her name? '_Two can play at this game._' "I'm sorry, Mr. Starr—"

"Please, call me Jimmy," he offered a kind smile in his subtle correction.

"Umm, Jimmy," Ally continued, "I wasn't aware that he would be in this meeting with us. I thought we were going to talk about tying up the loose ends of my record?" She tried her hardest to keep her composure when all she wanted to do was punch Austin and run out of the room to go cry somewhere.

"We are, Ally, but I have an amazing opportunity for you. I already told Austin about it…now, it's your turn." Jimmy took another sip of his drink before laying out the information Ally subconsciously knew she didn't want to hear. "Austin will be going on a world tour…and the label wants you to be his opening act."

"Woah, woah…wait, world tour…opening act?" Ally momentarily forgot about Austin's presence and began working on wrapping her head around this almost impossible scenario. "I haven't even released my record yet, and I'll already be going on tour?"

"Well…" Jimmy began, "your record will be released before the first show of the tour. We all know it is a little soon, but this is the best opportunity to push both of your careers forward. With that being said, you both wrote a majority of these songs together, right? This should be perfect! Two song writers who have created amazing things together…able to perform together and show the world not only the work they have done, but the connection behind it too." Jimmy rubbed the back of his bald head with both of his hands. "This is just great!"

Both Austin and Ally looked at the opposing walls, unable to look at anything remotely close to one another. That connection Jimmy spoke of…wasn't there anymore. How could they tell him that, when that was fueling the one opportunity that they may never come across again? So early in their careers, and they already have a world tour lined up for them. Still, Ally couldn't bear the thought of having to spend _every day_ near the person she strongly disliked the most on this planet. She had been so fortunate to not have to face him during all these months, but who was she kidding; she knew this was bound to happen eventually.

On the other hand, Austin had felt so much joy throughout this day. Daydreaming about all the things this could have been kept his mind busy from that dark feeling he had known for so many months now. Now, it was searing throughout his being. He was aware that it just wasn't one emotion; it was a concoction of feelings and insights that he just couldn't face yet. Seeing her there, right beside him…knowing there was so much he should've done and should be doing right now…it was just so hard to swallow.

Looking at these two from another's perspective, one would see two people: a boy and a girl. They would see the numerous glances exchanged, so they would be able to see a connection and familiarity between the two. They would see the space between them, so either they were acquaintances or products of an issue that causes them to gravitate away from each other. They would see the hurt in their eyes, the nervous energy that was evident in the habits of the two: Ally's hair chewing and Austin's leg bobbing. They would see those, but not the evidence behind it. They would never see the days they spent writing songs together, or the spontaneous hugs they shared after happy occasions. They would never be able to see the moments they kissed, or the instances where their hands would touch on the piano keyboard. They would never see the night that twisted everything apart…

They would just see two people, sitting there ignoring each other. It was a little obvious, for Jimmy sent an inquiring eye to both of the teenagers. "Now, Ally…" he focused on her. "Do you have the last song written for your record?"

"Yes, but…" '_Oh God, this is so rude…'_ "Is there any way we could discuss that later on…in private?" Austin's eyebrows rose, but no one saw because he was looking away.

Ally noticed a slight objection in Jimmy's movements, but she was relieved with his answer. "Yes…we can. We can focus on the logistics of the tour for now…that is, if you both are up on going through with this?"

Of course they weren't. Neither Austin nor Ally was immediate with their responses, but they weren't stupid; this was an once-in-a-lifetime ordeal. Passing that up over petty emotions…Ally was smart enough to know better than that. Austin knew this was his tour, so of course he couldn't back out.

They both nodded in agreement, which sent the largest smile creeping across Starr's face. "Okay, so do you guys have any questions you are just dying to ask?"

"Yes actually," Austin surprisingly broke the silence. "What's the name of the tour? '_Full Moon: All-Access'?_" As long as it had "Moon" in it, he would still feel pretty confident about his decision.

"…Wow that would've been good, but no it's not that," Jimmy now focused his attention back to his computer, typing a few things on his keyboard.

"What is it then?"

"Oh, you'll love it," after a few clicks of his mouse, Jimmy turned his computer screen to show them what would be an endorsement poster showing the dates and locations of the shows. "It's called the '_Blue Moon_' tour."


	4. Maple and Gold

**Hey everyone! I was hoping to update this sooner, but I needed some time to plan how I want these specific moments I see within my mind to play out. One of them is soon to occur, and I wanted to make sure it was right in every way possible. Anyways, please read and tell me what you think about this chapter! :)**

* * *

"'_Blue Moon?'" _Austin perked up in his seat. "So it's going to be like, 'Things this awesome only come once in a Blue Moon'?" Oh, was he excited. Ally just rolled her eyes, but a smile could be seen peeking through the corners of her mouth.

"Something along those lines," Jimmy grinned. "Now, I want to ask you two before I forget…would you guys be willing to sing a duet?" Ally's jaw dropped. First, a requirement to go on a world tour with someone she strongly disliked…now she had to sing a duet with him? No way.

"Umm…" Austin started to answer when Ally seemed too mortified to speak. "I mean, we—"

"Why would you want that, Jimmy?" She interrupted once a plan worked its way into her mind. "There will be so many girls there to see Austin, you know. Wouldn't that be a turn off to them…to have to see Austin sing with another girl?" She was brilliant. Pride glistened all over her face as she was marveled by that fact. Even though Austin felt offended that she would go to such lengths to not sing with him, he was still flattered that she indirectly acknowledged his popularity and good looks. What a confidence booster.

"Hmm…you have a point there, Ms. Dawson," his deep voice trailed off.

"Just trying to help you out!" Yes, she felt home free. '_No duet, no duet please…'_

"It doesn't have to be a romantic, slow ballad though…" Jimmy rubbed a hand against his chin. "It can be a song about having fun; a party anthem, maybe? Plus, the fans know about the connection you two have and I doubt they feel threatened by it," he laughed, "I think some actually want a _stronger _ link betweenyou two."

Austin took this moment to interject. "Jimmy, I'm not sure if Ally is capable of writing an upbeat, 'party' song." He air quoted party.

Ally's jaw dropped similar to how Austin's did when he first laid eyes on her earlier. Two reasons flabbergasted her: one, the audacity Austin had to even _insult_ her after…and two, the fact that he had the guts to break this sort of "ignore the other's existence by keeping their acknowledgements down to pronouns" agreement they silently had. If steam could flow out of her ears, right now would be the time it would. "I so can," she couldn't help the sour tone she used. "Did Austin mention his inability to write songs in general?"

"I wrote a song on my album, thank you," he refused to look at her.

"Only because I motivated you to—"

"Okay, enough," Jimmy halted the progressing argument between his two guests. "If it's going to be that big of a deal, we will nix that. Are you sure you two can handle a tour together?"

"Of course!" Ally wanted to be the first one to let Jimmy know that she could separate business from personal affairs. "It'll be great."

"Yea, we can do this," still refusing to look at her for more than half-a-second, he motioned to her with his head and smiled brightly at their "boss".

"I'm counting on you two," his lightweight attitude suddenly turned stern. "This is a big deal, and whatever is going on between the two of you, I need that to be put aside. '_Blue Moon_' will be amazing for the both of you, if you open your minds to all the things it has to offer."

"We know," Ally took the liberty to speak on Austin's behalf, trying to signify that they could "get along".

"We are ready for this journey," Austin finished, catching her drift and reassuring Jimmy with his own statement.

"I'm glad to hear." He glanced at his watch, his eyes widening when he read the time. "Now, I have a meeting with some of your song producers, Ally, so we'll have to finish this tour talk another time."

* * *

"Wait…you knew about this?" Ally's voice screeched through the phone. "Why didn't you tell me?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Because…" a voice with a slight accent said, sounding extremely cautious. "Because I knew you wouldn't go if you knew Austin would be there."

Ally knew that was true; deep down, while she wanted nothing more than a "by chance" occurrence where she could run into him, she knew that she wouldn't be able to handle the stress that would come along with it. She still didn't know how she made it through that meeting without passing out from all the nervous energy that was still searing through her body. Still, on the surface, she was intensely offended. "Trish! You still should have told me…I did handle the situation incredibly well, thank you!"

"Okay then….did you and Austin speak after the meeting?"

There was a catch in Ally's breath.

That's the one thing that bothered her most about the situation. While everything about the condition concerned her; the somewhat harsh banter, the short looks, and his existence there in general, she still couldn't believe no progress had been made between them. She expected to walk out of that office, speedily making her way back to her car, and then, at a moment's notice, a hand would grab her shoulder. The touch would instantly send shivers down her spine, for her subconscious would know exactly who it was. She would turn to see hazel staring back at her, nothing but that and blonde surging into her view. She would see the sincerity in his eyes, and within the words that he would speak. He would be cautious, of course. She would be able to see not only the truth, but the fear behind the decision that would still be impending within his mind. He would smile as soon as their eyes would meet; the glow behind the surprise she felt would instantly brighten his spirits, and the confidence in the now certain choice he would make. His voice would come out raspy, nerves hindering his ability to think and act straight, even though, ironically, this would be the soundest decision he has made in quite some time. _"Ally…"_ a whisper would bring Ally's attention all on him. "_We need to talk."_

But this is reality and reality follows no script.

"No," Ally sighed as all of the intrinsic hopes faded away. "We didn't speak outside of the office."

"….Well then," Trish spoke, almost sounding surprised. "At least you have a date with Dallas tonight!"

She smiled as the thought of her "new beginning" flashed before her eyes. "Yea…you're right."

* * *

A room has never felt so empty until now. Regardless of the sunshine pouring through the window shade and the melodies of spring flowing through the trails of the wind, this room felt dark and lonely. The walls held nothing but restrictions, reminders that maybe some boundaries just couldn't be broken.

Austin felt the realization of that hit him in the chest as he threw himself onto his bed.

So many limitations held themselves up with the upmost strength inside of his heart. Boundaries of anxiety, boundaries of insecurity; having so much time spent on the morality of his heart. He knows the right way. It manipulated his thoughts, and the feeling within the pit of his stomach physically told him of what he should be doing, of what he should have done that night. So many regrets held deep down inside of him. The last few hours spent acted as a tool, fishing out those regrets and bringing them to the surface. It had been forever since such hopelessness found its way into his deportment…all because of one stupid meeting.

If this was the effect of a short period of time spent around her…how could he go on tour with her?

It has always been a constant battle within him, knowing that he messed up one of the deepest connections he has ever had with another person. It scared him to the point of stagnation; how could he approach an issue that he can't even face within himself? So many variables existed that stopped him from making any move at all. He was stuck with nothing but missed chances and excuses.

The sooner he came to the realization that it was too late, the faster he could pass over this obstacle in his path. True, so much time had passed that did not validate why he was still perturbed by everything, but today marked the first time he had to actually, physically face her. Now that he had the bit of "closure", he could begin accepting the fact that Ally and he would never be the same. What saddened him the most was how he actually liked it better not having to be near her, for when that was true, it was like he was in a vacuum, not having to come to terms with how catastrophic everything was between the two of them. It was so difficult restraining himself from following her out of that office today, grabbing her hand and telling her how excited he was to be able to spend months by her side, performing as one. He wanted to confide in her his fears of disappointing the crowds, of accidently walking onto another tour bus filled with screaming girls and being thousands of miles away from her. Austin wanted to follow her out and tell her everything he had bottled up inside of him. He has always wanted to do that, and as he realized the chance he didn't take, he placed his face into his hands.

His mind was a kaleidoscope of thoughts that he couldn't process all at once. He had to think about something else. Making a decision that he did not feel completely comfortable with, he grabbed the phone sitting in his pocket and went to his contacts. Seeing the name he was looking for, he clicked the call button and listened for the typical greeting everyone gave.

"Hello?" A voice replied, a hopeful ring echoing within their tone.

"Hey…want to go out tonight?"

* * *

A sound of cascading bells filled the rooms of the house, alerting everyone that a visitor had arrived. Scurrying footsteps could be heard bouncing off the wooden floor of the hallway, making their way towards the front door. Once she arrived, Ally opened the door to find a boy standing there in a white polo shirt, holding a bouquet of roses. Her face instantly lit up. "Oh Dallas, you didn't have t—"

"Shhh," he softly placed an index finger to her lips. "I wanted to."

She looked down at the floor, attempting to hide the flush of her face. When her eyes rose, they instantly met his. Suppressing the honest joy she felt was much harder than she thought it would be. "Well, that was nice of you," was all she could muster.

He allowed her to transport the flowers to her room, and once she returned, he placed a hand in hers. "I have such a surprise waiting for you."

"Oh, what could it be?" She teased him as he guided her to his vehicle, opening the door for her.

"I'll give you a hint," a grin shined across his face. He was obviously stoked. "It involves funnel cake and fried pickles."

* * *

"Austin, this is such a great idea!" Elizabeth squealed as she gripped on to his arm. "I guess this can make up for you not talking to me much this morning."

He looked to the pavement, masking a slight smile from taking over his features. "I think it can," he said as he looked up and signaled to his right, "Especially since you love rollercoasters."

The atmosphere of the amusement park was chaotic enough to distract anyone from any troubles. The noise of kids screaming, the sounds of various foods frying, and the flashing lights and music gave the rebellious vibe that attracted so many people to its gates. It was the hottest event in Miami right now, so Austin knew he had to make time to be a part of the newest carnival. It was the perfect opportunity to pause from everything weighing him down, and the perfect chance to make Elizabeth happy…hopefully.

"…I don't like rollercoasters," her voice dawdled. '_Oh shit'_. Who was it that he knew loved rollercoasters? '_Oh…'_

"But I know you love stuffed animals, right?" He was praying for a saving grace.

"Well, duh!" It was almost as if she forgot of his slip up. "Can you win me one?" Her blue eyes shone with a hope of a child, asking for the largest toy in a store window display.

Austin released a breath of relief. "Of course I can."

They made their way over to the nearest stand; one filled with targets and stuffed animals. He reached for the wallet in his back pocket, about to pay the worker when a sound so familiar reached the outskirts of his mind. It was a sound that he often dreamt about, though he'd never physically admit it; the sound that he spent nights memorizing. So calm and cool, now a statue standing in place as the fear of reality slapped him in the face.

If fascination and terror and awe could appear in a tangible form, there it stood, and there it began to vacantly approach him.

* * *

Silence was a gift, she was taught. The beauty of it was that if it could be heard with someone, then that was the most comfortable thing that could be felt with them. Sitting in a vacancy of sound was the definition of vulnerability; a clean slate and the off chance that something could break that euphoria of peace. As Ally looked to her left, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of his face. So cute and adorable, and he was into her. The silence she heard right now wasn't the type that would make her inclined to go and cower in a corner. Instead, it gave her confidence. Maybe she could do something right after all.

As they pulled up into the parking lot, Dallas took her hand before they left his vehicle. In somewhat of a shock, Ally cocked her head slightly in confusion. It all made sense when he raised her hand to his lips, and as if he were Flynn Rider looking into the eyes of the princess with magical hair, he gently pressed his lips against her skin. The sensation she felt overworked her heart, and at once, she knew this was too much for her to handle. How could a single touch arouse such a response out of her? It had been so long since a single, innocent, nice gesture like that had been done, and her existence appreciated it.

"Ready to go?" His eyes intensely looked at hers. She nodded in response, honestly tongue-tied. He came around and opened the door for her, causing a slight blush to crawl onto her face. She could get used to this.

Once her eyes laid upon on the scene before her, she couldn't help but gasp a little in surprise. "Woah…it's been forever since I've been to an amusement park!" The inner child begged to be released, and Ally was not afraid to let it show. She looked at Dallas with such gratitude that she didn't even realize it. He gave her the chance to be "young" again, and it was his opportunity to see the true colors of her soul.

"I remember you telling me how much you loved rollercoasters, so I thought we could check out this new park," he beamed with success. "Did I do a good job?"

"Well duh," she teased back, in a more flirtatious manner than she had intended. It really didn't come across in that way, anyways, which made her blush even more at her failed attempt. He just chuckled and took her hand.

"Come on, we need to go get in line for the Mariana's Trench ride. The line will be crazy long and I know we have to at least ride it," he almost hauled her away from the gated entrance. She didn't mind, because she was just as excited.

As they speedily walked, her eyes scanned all the sights before her. The lights, the people, the perfect spring air was making her feel some vibe that she hadn't felt in what seemed like forever. Of course, the first date she went on with Dallas was amazing, but this felt even more carefree than that did. It was as if she was in a realm of freedom, where literally, chance by chance stood in front of her, waiting to be taken. She saw so many roads, so many new endings she could write for herself. Those roads were going to be dangerous, long and winding, but sometimes, letting Fate take control and leading you somewhere wasn't the worst thing in the world.

As she practically skipped beside Dallas, listening to him talk about a Biology project that was stressing him out, she accidently took a look to her right. Opposite of all the forward moving she had made, she caught sight of maple and gold, such beautiful colors. She practically choked on the hitch in her breath, stopping mid-step and almost instantly freezing in place. Pupils dilated as if she were looking into a mirror, seeing the same reaction in a sight so daunting she didn't know what to do. It was as if the moment was frozen in time, for everything around her seemed to keep moving while she had an instant of inertia. The funny thing was…it was like that moment was shared with him. An instantaneous connection took her away from reality, but as fast as it arrived, it left and her feet kept stirring and her lips continued to move. Ally programmed herself to keep moving. Apparently, her work was successful.

As they approached the line, she felt the exponential increase of her heart rate, and it was almost as if the world began to spin around her. She kept saying to herself words of confidence that everything was okay, but physiologically, her body wasn't agreeing with her mind. Dallas started to notice and placed a comforting hand on the small of Ally's back. "Are you okay?"

She felt the will to breathe fast and heavy, but she suppressed it for as long as she could. "Um, yes, I just…need to go to the bathroom real quick. Can you save our spot?"

"Of course!" Once she acknowledged the approval, she went in search of the nearest bathroom.

Currents and currents of people flowed around her, as if she were the upended rock in the middle of a river. Standing around, lost without a sense of destination, Ally tried to find the safe house she felt she most desperately needed. A moment of reprieve in the form of fast breathing and deep reflection seemed appealing to her. She couldn't process the sight she had realized without being alone. Dallas didn't deserve to have to comfort her on a problem that shouldn't even exist. Ally knew better than to rely on anyone else for validation when it had to come from her and herself only.

Wondering around for several minutes, she finally caught visual of the sanctuary she was searching for. While the shame and thoughts of disappointment crowded her brain, she was so caught up that her sense of spectacle began to fail her. Before she knew it, she walked straight into something strong and tough, solid enough to knock her back a few feet. Once Ally realized that she ran into something, she rubbed the front of her head with her hands and realized that someone was holding on to her.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I didn't even see you the—"

The minute her hands left her face, the color of embarrassment changed to the clarity of ivory as if the sight before her had escaped from her dreams and into the prospect before her.

"Ally…" he breathed.


	5. Canvas

**Hey everyone! I know, I know...it's been so long since I've posted a chapter. I've been really busy with school and I'm currently attempting at attending Cornell University in the fall. It's an Ivy League and it's my dream, so my focus for most of February was gathering things for my application and so on with that. Now, the waters have calmed and I should be back to writing and posting more frequently. I am so so so sorry for the delay and I will do better in the future. If you are still keeping up with this, I thank you so much for your patience. This chapter will be worth it, and so will the next one because I have plans hehe :). Anyways, I hope you enjoy and please review or follow or favorite; all types of commentary or even a little notice make my day brighter. :)**

* * *

The moment he saw her was like seeing her all over again for the first time. The discovery, the curiosity; why was she here? Why was she there, in his line of sight? What brought them to this moment? It was as if everything around them had stopped, and at the instant their eyes met, he felt a pounding in his chest that he remembered to be so familiar to him at one time. He did not want that feeling to leave.

As she continued on her trek, he was baffled by the fact that she kept going. She had stopped him in his tracks, sadly unnoticeable to Elizabeth's eyes. The gravity between them was almost heavenly, as if it had been there since the beginning of time. Yet, the doubt and questioning returned, and the instant slipped away as fast as it came.

"Austin…Austin?" a warmth on his hand brought him back to the reality before him. Elizabeth pouted at the lack of attention she was receiving from him. "Win me a stuffed animal?"

He urged a smile from the depth of him heart, thinking about the skills he possessed with the emotions of his face. Maybe acting was a future career path he could contemplate about. "Yea."

Austin paid the worker and took one of the plastic balls, aiming at the stirring target. After three failed attempts and a heart-to-heart within himself, he glanced over to Elizabeth. "I can't concentrate. I think I need to go to the bathroom."

Shocked from his apparent candor, Elizabeth giggled, unaware of the thoughts traveling like lightning through Austin's mind. "Okay honey." He smiled in response and turned to scope out solitude.

All he needed was time. Time was the one thing he thought he would always have on his side. Even though everyone deems it the enemy, it was the one thing he always thought he could count on. The number of days would forever increase; seconds to minutes, minutes to hours, all further away from the day he wished he could change. He would never forget the look on her face, how the disappointment within the color of her eyes wouldn't leave his mind. Time was the enemy, but so was he.

The aggregation of it all caused his fists to clench up, but none of it was noticed as his eyes moved from the pavement to a pair of worn-out sneakers. By the time he realized they belonged to a person, he recoiled and released all the tension within his body to the grasp of the person in front of him.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I didn't even see you the—"

Once he heard the tone of her voice, it was as if he was trapped in the reveries that passed through his life every day. His grip on her waist instantly tightened, eyes focusing on the face he had secretly wanted to gaze at for so long, but instead, avoided as if they a homework assignment being put off to the last minute. All the distant moments between them: the avoidance, the decisions to not speak instead of confrontation, the fear, and the hands of fate that seemed to keep them apart; all of those worries and problems seemed to fade away in a single moment that couldn't validate why any of the previous things happened. This was a chance. This was fate.

"Ally…" he almost whispered, refusing to allow his hands any restriction in their grip on her. She didn't fight it, either.

If their minds had ever agreed on anything, this one occurrence would be synonymous between the two. Despite her mask of hatred, she had spent nights sleeping to this scenario. It scared her so much, in fact, that she was speechless. She remained that way, staring at Austin with the intent of being dumbfounded.

"Ally, I know you probably hate me…" he voice was low and rushed, "and I have no idea what the hell is going through your mind right now," he chuckled, letting a small smile creep at the corners of his mouth, "I never have…" His smile widened, but returned to a somewhat stoic appeal. "Listen to me—"

"Ally?" a rushed voice interrupted the intimacy beginning to fire up. As if changing a car going from drive to reverse, Austin's grip instantly fell and Ally turned in a polite rage to find her seeker. Of course, Dallas smiled, and Ally did in return. "You okay? You were taking a long time, so I thought I would come and find you." Dallas's eyes went to Austin. "Austin?"

While his the now fists that laid by his side wanted to greet Dallas's face, they remained tolerant. Why he was feeling such anger, he didn't want t admit. All he wanted was to be with Ally…alone. Still, the thought that she was here with someone made him want to go find Elizabeth and forget he ever saw Ally. "Hey man, Ally and I were just catching up since we accidentally ran into each other."

"Yea, Austin saved me from totally falling face-first into the pavement," Ally stiffened a giggle and threw her hand up, gesturing the lack of meaning this whole instance held. "I'm just so clumsy."

Dallas smiled. "Well, thanks for catching her, man. It's nice to see you two talking. The whole school thinks you two hate each other."

"Hate each other?" Austin and Ally responded at the same time. She blushed and he scratched the back of his head.

"Our schedules just never allow us time to hang out at school," Ally attempted at a save.

"Yea, we hang out after school still," the blatant lie made Austin wonder why he was lying in the first place.

Dallas nodded. "Well, that's nice to know, then. I mean, if anyone could win the superlative for 'best friends', it's you two," he reached for Ally's hand. "Anyways, the night continues to grow old. Ally, shall we?"

Ally continued to blush. While it should have been from the chivalry being displayed before her, the embarrassment from Austin and Dallas's confrontation made her want to go home and scream into a pillow. The workings of fate mystified her.

"Yea," was the only response she could muster. She turned her gaze to Austin, her tone more abnormal than she meant for it to sound. "See you later."

Austin nodded in agreement. "See ya."

* * *

A bed had never felt so comfortable, so serene when it was just a physical object. Right now, her connection with it seemed to be close to that of with a living being. The feeling of security she felt was unprecedented, like the assurance of a best friend listening to her troubles, rationalizing them and returning those points with careful advice. Ally laid on her bed, the roller-coaster of emotions she had felt throughout the day flowing out of her mind. Sleep beckoned her. She was willing to follow.

Ally had never felt so mentally exhausted in her life. Sure, she had been through rigorous tests in math class, challenging assignments in physics, but nothing compared to being emotionally drained. All she wanted to do was lay there, leaving behind the reality of the situation at hands. She wanted the answers to appear right before her, but unfortunately, life did not function in that manner.

Why did she feel so upset? She had a nice time at the fair with Dallas. He was the gentleman any girl would fluster herself over for. He opened car doors, paid for meals; how many guys were left who were like that? Austin sure wasn't much in comparison to that…

_Austin_.

And just like that, the thought of his golden hair and beautiful eyes made her heart warm up. It was as if she were in an emotional paradox, stuck between the truth she wants to believe and the actual truth that runs through the veins of her soul. It was like a pre-constructed idea that she couldn't alter. Set in stone was her outlook on Austin Moon, and no matter what she did, as long as she was in any way close to him, she would never be able to even begin shaking him off. The cold, hard truth stared her in the face for so long, like a high-definition mirror. Accepting these conditions made her feel like her soul was sick, thoughts unwinding in an irrational manner. None of it made sense to her, and that notion alone haunted her.

Her phone began to vibrate. She knew it was probably a text message from Dallas checking up on her, so she made no real attempt at responding quickly. He'd be there seven minutes from now. He always was.

But for some reason, she took a glance at her phone, and when she did, her eyes widened.

She hesitated, looking around her room as millions of thoughts seemed to swirl in her mind like an organized chaos of clouds erupting into a hurricane. As if the heart of the storm found its way to the forefront of the storm, her hands grabbed for her purse and car keys.

* * *

Austin gently placed his hands on the sides of her face, gently stroking the sides of her cheekbones with his thumbs. He had done this numerous times before, knowing the perfect route to take. He was aware on how to make a girl fall for him, especially when it came to physicality. He may not have been the best in the academic world, but if they had a class on how to "win a girl over", he would surely ace it.

Elizabeth's blue eyes stared at his with a burning flame he had seen so many times. The passion within her ambiance, the longing for more than she had ever known; the workings of a girl's mind were somewhat too easy for him to decipher. Yet, here he was, playing the game again.

It was almost too easy for him, actually. The thought of going through this process with her again seemed to bore him. Or was he really bored? Never had he found displeasure from being with a girl, but at this moment, he really wanted to be anywhere but in his car, with her anywhere but by his side.

Still, curiosity got the best of him, and he gently placed his lips on hers. No real sparks rumbled within his chest, only the initial rush of intimacy. She moved similar to him at first, gentle motions with gentle meaning. As the seconds passed, though, her actions became more aggressive, as if practically moving them forward at the speed of a bullet. Austin tried his best to counteract, but his lead on things slowly faltered, and there she was, hands on his face and controlling the synchronization Austin had hoped to avoid.

The core of his species pushed him to continue forth. He couldn't blur his reputation. What would the others think if he did what he was about to do? They would be ashamed. Elizabeth was hot, he couldn't pass that up again…but the beating in his chest pounded a different thought, a different feeling that eventually influenced him to break away from her.

"…What's wrong?" she said in confusion, her hands making their way back to Austin's face. He gently grabbed them and placed them in her lap.

"Listen, I can't do this tonight. My parents are expecting me and—"

"Since when did you listen to your parents?" A slight hint of sass found its way into Elizabeth's tone. He hadn't really heard that side of her before.

"You know I don't," Austin was finding any way out of the hole he was digging himself into. "Tonight, though, my mom wanted me home to…help her with some things."

"At this hour?" Elizabeth looked skeptical. Why would he have gone through all of this trouble, driving far out into a deserted parking lot, to simply change plans? Austin racked his brain for any excuse.

"Yea, I have to help her move some furniture…she didn't get home until, like, thirty minutes ago so she is probably freaking out right now," he stifled a giggle to ease the tension. It seemed to work, since Elizabeth sighed and returned an accepting gesture.

"Alright then…we can just pick up where we left off next time," she winked and looked at her cell phone. "You can take me home now."

Austin nodded and started his car, turning the radio up to a polite medium as he drove towards the main road back to town.

The night he had experienced had been anything but what he wanted. What he wanted was to have a night of freedom out in the aisle of carnival rides and funnel cakes, with the hottest girl in school by his side, wanting to be there and craving him more than he was her. He wanted to be calm and cool without that deep feeling in his chest. He wanted to find ways to start over, almost in desperation as the night was coming closer to an end when he found Elizabeth and himself alone in his car on the outskirts of town. Out of all the ways the night could have ended, the way it was going was picture perfect…almost too perfect. Maybe that is what scared him; things haven't went that right for him in a long time.

Yet here he was, driving the hot girl home way within curfew. The speed of his car was going faster than the speed limit, but he had no clue why he was in a hurry. He just was.

Before he knew it, Elizabeth kissed him on the cheek goodnight and walked herself to her front door. As soon as his car door slammed, he went for his phone to check for any notifications and text messages. Realizing he had none, he went to his contacts and shakily clicked a name. He typed a few letters together, placed his phone back in the middle compartment, and slammed his foot down on the gas pedal.

The feeling in his chest disappeared.

* * *

The walls of the room used to be a constriction, a container of memories her heart no longer wanted to remember with the vividness she did whenever she was in here. The seat at the piano, the ivory and ebony of the keys, the neon light of the large "A" that used to reflect off of his hair—it was seared into her memory like colors and lines on a canvas board. The room was her canvas to which she created beautiful music and words and connections, all with the person she thought he was. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Still, she sat her purse down on the table and walked straight to the piano, lifting the cover and gently placing her finger on a C major chord. Almost instantly, her fingers began to skim along keys to a melody that her mind was already formulating. It was a mixture of major and minor tones that demonstrated how mixed up she was feeling being in that room so late at night again. Just the night before, she had journeyed up to this room in a personal validation of her independence from all the animosity she had previously held against it. Now, she was back, almost for the opposite purpose: she was giving in. So wrong and so right at the same moment. The rebellion of all the stories she had read and the logic of innocence.

A knock on the window frightened her out of her reverie as she turned and met the eyes she had longed to see again. He returned that same glow, drawing her to open the window and allow him entrance. No hesitancy lived in his bones as climbed from the tree outside to the light shining from the "A" off the far wall. It felt almost like old times and Ally did not realize how much she had yearned to be in here again with him until she was actually there in the moment. A smile instantly flashed on her features.

"I didn't think you would come," Austin said in a hushed tone, even though no one else was in the store with them. He sounded out of breath. "I really didn't think you'd come."

She continued to radiate with the shine of a genuine smile. "Me either…but here I am."

Austin paused before slowing his heartbeat to as low as he could, still feeling the pounding in his chest as if he forgot what it felt like for it to beat like that. "Ally, I know a lot has gone on between the two of us. It's been on my mind ever since it happened…"

"Really?" she lightly cocked her head to the side. The inner investigator began to come forth. "I mean, it's like you've been avoiding me ever since…you know…"

"To be honest, I would want to come here at Sonic Boom, walk straight through those doors, and talk to you about it. I just…could never do it," Austin tore his gaze away from her, trying to find some object of comfort to stare at.

"It's understandable," Ally sighed. "I mean, we never really _actually _talked about it…not at all."

"Well," Austin brought his eyes back to the deep brown of Ally's. "I think it's about time we did."


End file.
